The New Mercy Orthopedic Hospital

Mercy has a new orthopedics hospital in the works, and patients can expect excellent hospital care in a hotel-like atmosphere.

Written by Savannah Waszczuk

DISCLAIMER: The information in this article was fact checked and accurate at press time, but 417 Magazine cannot guarantee its accuracy indefinitely.

As the baby boomer generation gets older, they will have more and more of a need for orthopedic hospital services. This is one of several factors that was considered before Mercy decided to construct Mercy Orthopedic Hospital Springfield.

These needs will be met with the state-of-the-art, 199,000-square-foot facility that will take care of all in- and out-patient orthopedics needs except trauma surgery. “We will offer all orthopedic elective procedures, like spine surgery, total joint replacement, hand, foot and ankle surgery and orthoscopic surgery,” says Kevin Rash, the Vice President of Operations for Surgical and Rehabilitation Services at Mercy Springfield.

The new hospital has an approximate pricetag of $110 million and will include 48 in-patient hospital beds and office space to accommodate 20 practitioners. It will initially open eight operating rooms with ability to expand to 12. And it will also offer a different experience for patients. “These people are broken, but not sick,” says Mercy orthopedist Dr. Richard Seagrave. “When Mercy was faced with shortages of hospital beds, operating rooms and clinic space and began planning six years ago, the orthopedic surgeons pointed out that the usual facilities of a general hospital did not necessarily offer the most efficient and patient-friendly way to care for a majority of their orthopedic patients.”

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Brad Wyrsch agrees. “For example, in the past, these [orthopedics] patients are sometimes put on a floor with a noisy environment, or put by someone who has been in a vehicle accident or is critically injured,” Wyrsch says. “This will be a more quiet environment with the same great state-of-the-art equipment and great nursing staff.”

The location of the new development, west at the Evans Road exit on Hwy. 65 south, was chosen due to both its easy access and its beautiful and restful ambiance. “I think we found the perfect spot for these elective patients and their families,” says Dr. Seagrave. And they even have plans to eventually build walking trails near the facility, giving family members and friends an alternative to spending hours in waiting rooms. Everything about the new hospital seems more that of a spa or hotel than a hospital, and that is by design, says Dr. Seagrave. “This is a plan that seems to be a hybrid cross between a hospital and a hotel. Some of the doctors actually call it a ‘hospitel’ rather than a hospital.”

Fun Facts

» The new hospital will employ 250 to 350 people, with a
minimum of 200 of those being new jobs or positions.

» There were 11,535 cubic yards of concrete used in building
the facility. That would be enough to lay a 4-foot sidewalk
from the site to the Branson Landing.

» There are 1,100 tons of rebar being used in the facility, which
is equivalent to 735 mini coopers or 2,600,000 Big Macs.

» There are 21 roof levels on the facility.

» There are 58 miles of conduit used in the building. That’s
enough conduit to circle the building 198 times.

» Thanks to a green initiative, 15.91 tons of construction and
building materials and waste were recycled

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